Cleveland’s own Bob Hope made a career of entertaining our Armed Forces, hosting around 60 USO tours between 1941-91. Vince McMahon and his WWE superstars have taken up where the comedian left off, having recently returned from their fifth annual Tribute to the Troops visit in Iraq.  Friday Night SmackDown stars Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Mr. Kennedy were joined by other wrestling icons like John Cena, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and several divas during their weeklong holiday overseas.  Highlight of the journey was a full-scale event at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, where Mysterio defeated “the world’s strongest man,” Henry.  More than 80 soldiers taped video greetings to their family and friends, which you can access here, along with full coverage of the well-received tour.  Now in its 9th season, SmackDown is WWE’s only all-new weekly “free TV” broadcast, and remains a rock-solid hit for The CW—in recent weeks achieving the #1 rating for its time period in numerous major cities.  Further capitalizing on their popularity, three SmackDown favorites have penned autobiographies:  To Be The Man, by Ric Flair; Adam Copeland on Edge, by Edge; and The Animal’s just-published Batista Unleashed.  Watching pro wrestling on Friday nights has become a family rite of passage in many homes…something campy that fathers and sons can enjoy together.  Do you have a ringside memory to share?

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